Remembering George County Deputy Bobby Daffin

LUCEDALE, Miss. (WLOX) - On Monday afternoon family and friends gathered to pay their respects to George County Deputy Bobby Daffin, who died on Aug. 12 after battling COVID-19. Law enforcement officers from across southern Mississippi were also in attendance. George County Sheriff Keith Havard said law enforcement wants to honor and remember Deputy Daffin.

“It’s a tragedy. Somebody 37 years old should not be passing like this under these circumstances, but it affects everybody,” Havard said. “All the law enforcement community always comes together at a time like this.”

An emotional few moments passed as friends and family said their final goodbyes. George County Deputy Doug Adams said Deputy Daffin was more than simply a co-worker.

“Three weeks ago, Bobby was as healthy as you and I standing right here talking today, and all of a sudden he’s sick. Then he is worse and then he is gone,” Adams said. “It brings it a lot closer to home when it’s one of your brothers or sisters.”

Not only was he a brother in the law enforcement, but Havard said Deputy Daffin was also a loving father to his own family.

“Bobby is a person that’s hard to replace. He’s very well trained and he’s very good at his job,” Havard said. “The fact that he had a young daughter, is a father to a young daughter, is heartbreaking.”

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, Adams said the anxiety for first responders does too.

“It definitely adds a little more stress to you, and it adds more stress to your family. They worry about you every day. They know that when you leave, you may not come back home, and this adds a little bit more stress to them,” Adams said. “I know it’s added a little bit more stress to mine. It’s added a little bit more stress to everybody’s, the sherriff’s, everybody’s.”

Services were held at Agricola Baptist Church in Lucedale.

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